July 8
With just over three weeks left in the submission period, many of you will be finalising your stories. So we asked Lorraine Marwood, our 2022 Short category judge, to share a pointers from her writing process.
How I work on my manuscripts
Get those words down. Don’t edit until you have written. Just write, accept cross outs, spelling mistakes- sometimes if I can’t find the right word to fit a particular spot, I leave a gap. Often for poetry I handwrite in a notebook. Or I make notes, ideas, suggestions. (Always put the date on an entry) Not every suggestion or line will star in the final product but are valuable to get to that final polished piece. Like a ‘find the way’ in the maze road, writing isn’t straight forward, it has its own journey and just the act of writing turns up surprising treasures that you may not have consciously thought you’d write.
Some suggestions to proofread:
Leave the writing to sit for a day or days or overnight at least. Words and ideas are clearer after time away. And suggestions for editing the work will be much easier to see.
Read your work out aloud, if you stumble over something or can’t remember what you meant at one point, then chances are your readers will stumble also. Listen to the flow of the words.
Alter or delete an overused word, or cliches.
Put a strong line at the start to draw us into your piece of writing. And a strong conclusion or ending. Both are important in any sort of writing.
And enjoy the creative process, it is uplifting and far reaching and full of surprises!
© Lorraine Marwood
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